[darth vader]

I smoke it now and again but is there any negative affects on muscle development? I all ready know all the other pros and cons. Thanks.

[EtienneDrums]

There's many post on the subjects , but to answer your question . No , marijuana do not have negative effects on muscle development

[Luscious Lou]

nope, plain n simple. it will mess with your cardiovascular/endurance abilities, so just make sure you stay on top of your cardio regularly and you will be alright

[darth vader]

does anyone know of any positive results? recently i have been a lot stronger but that could be other factors.

[EtienneDrums]

I don't think smoking marijuana could have positive effects on your developement , it surely is something else hehe :P Or esle every bodybuilder would smoke weed!

[Thomas_Rivera]

I would definitely go and say it's counter productive to muscle building. Reducing your cardiovascular abilities will not have no result at all on muscle building. Anything that effects your cardiovasvular health will have cross over to the rest of your body.

[GettinITDone]

Originally Posted by Thomas_Rivera

I would definitely go and say it's counter productive to muscle building. Reducing your cardiovascular abilities will not have no result at all on muscle building. Anything that effects your cardiovasvular health will have cross over to the rest of your body.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Cardiovascular health and muscular development go hand in hand. Ever have to stop squatting because your heart gives out before your legs do? Well, if your cardiovascular health is not up to par, your heart is going to give out even earlier, which would be counter productive to leg development because you could have performed more reps had your cardiovascular health been better. Make sense?

[Zack]

Weed = bad for health in general unless you're a super old dude with glaucoma. Other than that leave it alone if you care about your body

[mikeh40+]

Originally Posted by Zack

Weed = bad for health in general unless you're a super old dude with glaucoma. Other than that leave it alone if you care about your body

yea leave it to us old dudes!!

seriously these threads on smoking weed and if it hampers muscle growth, are pretty pointless, i believe there is enough info out there to base your own conclusion on the topic
if your smoking or using drugs for recreational use, then bodybuilding or leading a healthy lifestyle is like ying and yang,
pick one or the other, but there is no nutritional value nor any positive health aspects, the only thing good about smoking weed is ..... well nothing !!

[MisterX]

Originally Posted by mikeh40+

yea leave it to us old dudes!!

seriously these threads on smoking weed and if it hampers muscle growth, are pretty pointless, i believe there is enough info out there to base your own conclusion on the topic
if your smoking or using drugs for recreational use, then bodybuilding or leading a healthy lifestyle is like ying and yang,
pick one or the other, but there is no nutritional value nor any positive health aspects, the only thing good about smoking weed is ..... well nothing !!

Very true. However, I see how difficult it is for younger dudes, such as myself, to turn it down simply for that reason though. Recently, I've been working hard on cutting back. It's just difficult when 90% of your friends smoke 24/7.

I feel the same way about alcohol. It's extremely tough being 18 and turning down a good party. I feel I'd rather get it out of my system when I'm young so that a year or two down the line I won't be tempted to go out and I won't be wondering if I missed out on my youth.

Back on topic, I cosign with everyone else. Besides cardio and perhaps a lack of motivation for some (on the other hand, I know a guy who smokes before working out; he says it gets amped aha wtf?), it doesn't directly stimulate muscle development positively or negatively.

[aild54]

Bodybuilding isn't really a sport that's about "how much you can get away with." It isn't about how much junk food you can get away with while staying healthy. It isn't about how much lifting you can skip and still get away with minimal results. I view bodybuilding as a sport that's one of the most hardcore and challenging, both physically and mentally. Why would you want to get anywhere close to limiting your progress just to get high? Why would you not just stop so you can be at your 100% to make your gains optimal? Everyone wants to know how much they can get away with. In my opinion, if you want the gains badly enough, you won't smoke. If you want it badly enough, the idea of it will rarely pop into your head.

[crull]

dude im 17 years old, ALL of my friends smoke cigs or weed and or get drunk every weekend, but am i doing it NO, why? because i dont have to put some **** into my system to feel better, when i eat my food, have great workouts and get results over time, thats better for me than any high could be

[Thomas_Rivera]

Originally Posted by MisterX

Very true. However, I see how difficult it is for younger dudes, such as myself, to turn it down simply for that reason though. Recently, I've been working hard on cutting back. It's just difficult when 90% of your friends smoke 24/7.

I feel the same way about alcohol. It's extremely tough being 18 and turning down a good party. I feel I'd rather get it out of my system when I'm young so that a year or two down the line I won't be tempted to go out and I won't be wondering if I missed out on my youth.

Back on topic, I cosign with everyone else. Besides cardio and perhaps a lack of motivation for some (on the other hand, I know a guy who smokes before working out; he says it gets amped aha wtf?), it doesn't directly stimulate muscle development positively or negatively.

First, being young and having friends that smoke and drink are weak excuses to do it yourself. You don't have to turn down parties, but needing to drink or get high to enjoy them should make you wonder why you even want to go if you need to get inebriated to enjoy it.

Secondly, canibas effects coordination skills, I can't see how that wouldn't have a negative effect on muscle building.

[MisterX]

Originally Posted by Thomas_Rivera

First, being young and having friends that smoke and drink are weak excuses to do it yourself. You don't have to turn down parties, but needing to drink or get high to enjoy them should make you wonder why you even want to go if you need to get inebriated to enjoy it.

Secondly, canibas effects coordination skills, I can't see how that wouldn't have a negative effect on muscle building.

Oh I know, I don't get high anymore...rarely. I like the high of alcohol though, I'm not gonna lie. I don't know, I think it's something everyone goes through. You never drank at 18?

It only affects them (coordination skills) when you're high. It attacks your brains neurotransmitters, I don't see how that can affect you physically besides your lungs (not a good thing either way).

[mikeh40+]

Originally Posted by MisterX

Very true. However, I see how difficult it is for younger dudes, such as myself, to turn it down simply for that reason though. Recently, I've been working hard on cutting back. It's just difficult when 90% of your friends smoke 24/7.

I feel the same way about alcohol. It's extremely tough being 18 and turning down a good party. I feel I'd rather get it out of my system when I'm young so that a year or two down the line I won't be tempted to go out and I won't be wondering if I missed out on my youth.
.

yes i completely understand the pressures of being young, while its been longer than you have been alive,lol,,, i still had the same peer pressure issues, and yes i did drink, and even tried weed,

so my advice is not from a lack of understanding but from a view point of,
i wish i had not wasted the most productive years of growth for muscle your ever going to have naturally in you life on the things teenagers do,

while i was active in football and track i never drank or even smoked during that time, summer was a different story, however i was not into bodybuilding at the time, just living the life and having fun, and really that is a choice your going to have to make,

will it hurt you now? probably not, if you continue on with this way then yes it will,

will it effect your muscle growth, yes it will, the question you need to ask is, what is more important to you right now, training and eating healthy or partying, if you can keep it on a very moderate level you will be fine, but from my experience and what i have seen, smoking weed generally is something that if giving the chance you will do into your adult years,

its the long term effects your going to see later on in your life, right now your young and bullet proof as we all are or were at the age, I would say since you have already done the weed thing and you know what drinking is all about, then perhaps its time to make a choice on how you want your life to proceed from this point forward, bodybuilding and staying healthy is a lifestyle choice to be sure, to gain the most out of our diet and training we need to do everything we can to attain our goals, thats the summery of my post,

[Thomas_Rivera]

I drank when I was younger, I still drink every now and then as well. I just never drank because of peer pressure.

What if the coordination debilitation turns into a long term problem? There's also the little detail of, if you don't know where the marijuana is coming from and how it is stored, how can you tell what is in it? Which pesticides are used, fungicides, has it grown any fungus, is it laced.

For a once a day user they can inhale any number of things that they have no idea about.

[MikeNYY420]

Once in a while's fine, alcohol's worse. At least smoking helps you eat double what you could normally. You need to stay well on top of your cardio though just like anyone does. It won't make or break you. You could smoke everyday and it won't make or break your gains, although I really don't recommend it.

A couple times a month or maybe on Friday nights or something is ok.

[projecthatch92]

There are so many excellent viewpoints in this thread. Here's my personal opinion.

Just as everyone else has stated, bodybuilding is a lifestyle, to me it's more than just a sport. I eat, sleep, poop, and breathe bodybuilding. I wake up in the morning and think about it. During class I think about it. But that's just me.

Of course I drank when I was 18, but I wasn't as hardcore as I am now with bodybuilding. You will hopefully realize that when you get older there are much better things to do than drink. Your whole weekend is ruined because your "hungover" and pretty much a great excuse to act like a zombie. There are plenty of other people out there that don't need to drink to have fun. If you make the choice to not drink because you want to excel in bodybuilding, and your friends can't respect that, then you need new friends. All of my friends respect the fact that I don't drink. Do I get made fun of for it? Absolutely. But nothing gives me the high that bodybuilding does. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a quality beer with quality friends once in awhile. What you need to do is figure out what means more to you in life? Getting drunk because you have nothing else to do for fun, or lead a healthy lifestyle that makes you feel good about yourself because of all the accomplishments you achieve through your journey.

As far as smoking weed goes, I hate it and I think it's stupid. I don't judge people for it, since everyone can make their own choices, but I choose to not associate myself with these people.

[Reaper0294]

I don't see how it can negatively affect you at all when using a Vaporizer at reccomended settings. Only things I've seen so far close are maybe lowering your testosterone level. Which wouldn't help a lot, but i don't think it'd kill your gains.

Your not hurting your lungs much with a vaporizer, because it's vapor and not harmful, harsh smoke. So, if your going to continue I'd reccomend getting one.

I know that I'm not going to just throw away parties and things. I'll do stuff to minimize the harm though. Maybe you do want to pursue a pure bodybuilding life, I don't know. I want to try and do both though and vaporizers are a good thing for it. Gonna get me one soon too.

[MikeNYY420]

The lowering testosterone levels thing is a myth. I've researched and it doesn't lower test or increase estrogen like they say. I was looking for reasons to quit and I honestly couldn't find any beside the lung thing. I hypothesized that the constricted veins and damanged lungs limited recovery. Recovery is vital. But just to clearify my views a bit- I smoked every single day for the first 2 years that I worked out. I'm not proud of that, but facts are facts. I went from a 75lbs bench press to 240 in that 2 year time period. From a 210 deadlift to 410 in a year and a half. It's possible. You need to be dedicated though, and smoking weed everyday can kill motivation. It's just a matter of the person, can they hit it hard(both senses of the term haha) or not? Also use the munchies to your advantage.

[MikeNYY420]

http://www.lycaeum.org/paranoia/mari...cts/3-mj-myths

This should answer some questions:

"A new study by Dr. Robert Block at the University of
Iowa disputes the commonly held notion that marijuana alters
the level of testosterone and other sex hormones.
The study contradicted a widely publicized 1974 study
by Dr. R.C. Kolodony, which reported decreased testosterone
levels in men who smoked marijuana chronically.
The U. of Iowa study found that chronic marijuana use
had no effect on testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle
stimulating hormone, prolactin and cortisol in men or women.
Noting that six other studies had failed to show
lowered testosterone levels in men, Dr. Block concluded: "It
appears that marijuana, even heavy use of the kind that's
typical in the United States, doesn't alter testosterone levels."
However, he cautioned that heavy use might have other
adverse effects, including "possible effects on reproductive
function and mild, selective cognitive impairments associated
with heavy, chronic use."
Block's study is published in Drug and Alcohol
Dependence, Vol. 28: 121-8 (1991)."

[projecthatch92]

If you smoke when you're around 15 or 16 there's a chance of developing gyno, but this is not most cases.

[MikeNYY420]

Hahaha, that'd suck.

[A-Ron21]

Ages 0 - 21 you shouldn't really do any drugs period because of the negative effect it can have on your development.

This is obviously an impossible standard, so at least stay away from alcohol. As a biologist, I use alcohol in every lab...to KILL THINGS. It blows me away that something that kills living cells with abandon is legal and weed isn't.

That being said, don't go out and smoke it every day. Once in a while is fine, but it makes you dumber. Every person I know who is a regular smoker is pretty much stupid.

[MikeNYY420]

I agree with what you said besides the dumber thing. Smoking weed doesn't make you less intelligent. The people that smoke are generally kinda dumb to begin with. Add in the lack of motivation that comes with smoking(mainly being high) and you've got what looks like a dumb person.

I made the honor role a few times while smoking. Since quitting I haven't. So I don't think it made me stupid.

[MisterX]

It could potentially make you stupid if you smoke every day starting at a very young age since it changes your brain chemistry. No one really knows because it's never really been tested. I've learned it could have effects on the development of the hippocampus (part of your brain that in essence, controls your memory capacity). So in theory, it wouldn't make you dumber per say, but since your recall would be diminished your capacity to learn and remember things would diminish and thus you would be "dummer" in essence.

Anyway, like Mike said, the "stupid" stigma that goes along with smoking pot is usually due to environmental factors. In most cases, people who smoke pot from a young age tend to not be interested in school very much, hang out with the "wrong crowd", start drinking earlier and it all snowballs from there. People get defensive over this generalization but it's true. People who start messing around with drugs and alcohol at the ages of 12-13 usually end up making bad decisions because they don't understand what they are doing. They can't draw the line between recreational use and lifestyle use.

However, this is not the truth in all cases. I tried pot at a relatively young age but I never really got into it more than that. I know some people who have smoked since they were 13 and they are in University with me. I think the effects of drugs and alcohol really depends on the person and their environment. It's the same thing with steroids. Some people can handle taking them safely, effectively and intelligently; others can't.

[A-Ron21]

Originally Posted by MikeNYY420

I agree with what you said besides the dumber thing. Smoking weed doesn't make you less intelligent. The people that smoke are generally kinda dumb to begin with. Add in the lack of motivation that comes with smoking(mainly being high) and you've got what looks like a dumb person.

I made the honor role a few times while smoking. Since quitting I haven't. So I don't think it made me stupid.

Haha oh dude I know, I meant in the sense that it makes you tired and impairs your memory.

[MikeNYY420]

Oh yeah I know what you mean. I just thought you were implying that it kills brain cells or something of the sort.

[A-Ron21]

Originally Posted by MikeNYY420

Oh yeah I know what you mean. I just thought you were implying that it kills brain cells or something of the sort.

I dunno, I don't THINK it does but I definitely could be wrong. I know alcohol does for sure though, as well as your liver and your kidneys and your pancreas...

[KM]

Originally Posted by MikeNYY420

I agree with what you said besides the dumber thing. Smoking weed doesn't make you less intelligent. The people that smoke are generally kinda dumb to begin with. Add in the lack of motivation that comes with smoking(mainly being high) and you've got what looks like a dumb person.

I made the honor role a few times while smoking. Since quitting I haven't. So I don't think it made me stupid.

Stupidity is a relative term. Hopefully I can explain this without going completely off the map.

To start, neurons within the nervous system are the fundamental cells responsible for relaying electrical messages to different parts of the brain and body. If you look at the structure of neuronal networks, you'll notice they have small gaps - or clefts - that chemicals (neurotransmitters) must diffuse across in order to continue that message onto the next neuron (and this is very generalized and basic). This function right here is what is directly affected by drugs such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC binds specifically to certain cannabinoid protein structures, which are helical proteins on the dendrital spines of a postsynaptic neuron (post-cleft).

What's important about this information is that AEA - the neurotransmitter that's structured chemically to bind to the cannabinoid receptors - are blockaded by the THC, screwing with several typical brain functions. Here's why this matters and can absolutely make someone seem 'dumber':

There are concentrations of specific species of neurons within different parts of the brain. As you know, there's a center responsible for the integration of short-term memory called the hippocampus. Within this archicortical layer of neurons lies a number of cannabinoid neurons, among a helluva lot more. Disturbance to this area can affect the consolidation of memories, recall of certain events and details. The same process occurs in this region of the brain with cortisol; ever feel unable to retain information because you're of stress or frustration? Cortisol has a direct neurohormonal route to hippocampal receptors, therefore disturbing the fluency of this area of the brain as well.

In addition, the basal ganglia, which is probably one of the most sophisticated unconscious movement-coordination systems our body has, also contains a rather large density of these types of neurons. And because of a cerebrocerebellar connection, if the BG is affected, so will voluntary movements within the cerebellum (another coordination system attached to the brainstem).

So, sure the drug may not lower ones IQ, but it will definitely have an impact on neurons involved in memory, consolidation and coordination. Which, to me, is one in the same.

Kev